Herald Says "best fans in the world" a myth * Mod Note #53 *

L'prof

AgileMyth wrote: »

You're going to games and want to go to more. Thats a football fan, thats good enough for anyone..

Can't understand how someone would be put off from attending a game based on comments on an internet forum.

You'll be spoilt for choice next year if Galway are back and the Town are back in the premier!

Travelling next year, so I'll have to look up teams in South America, New Zealand, Australia & Asia

It wouldn't put me off going to matches now, but before I'd been, it probably did a bit. I didn't think people would be all that welcoming, but it's not like that at all especially if you know people there.

MRPRO03

What I find funny is the media wanting Irish Athletes to well at the Olympics and yet at the same time ignore an Irish Team that had 18 players that were all Irish that were actually playing in European competition representing Ireland.

Gavin "shels"

monkey9 wrote: »

If Hanover 96 were playing Shels in Tolka, i'd go if i got a ticket.

Irish football fans are lazy bastards. This is a proven fact!

I got a ticket for Thursday, delighted I did, great game of ball and great atmosphere.

Mr.Nice Guy wrote: »

Who cares about who has the 'best fans'? It's entirely subjective. I watch football for enjoyment, not so I can feel like I am superior to others. I'm loving the Olympics for what it's worth.

How is this 'proper football' exactly? And if people found entertainment at home rather than at the ground, isn't that the crux of the problem? The lack of entertainment they perceive they will have there in contrast to their own home?

Articles and opinions like this smack of a real inferiority complex. They contain no logic. They bemoan the symptoms of the problem rather than addressing the issue.

So I take it you didn't watch any of the Ireland matches in the Euros or if a match is bad you'll turn it off? You did say you want enjoyment!

How can people address the issue btw?

pistolpetes11 wrote: »

I love the superiority complex that some of the LOI fans have in this thread ,

You support a club from Ireland , well lets be having a medal for the lot of you , grow up

Medals? God no, just the ignorance of yourself and the tens of thousands of Oirish to get out and actually support football and help it grow, too much to ask?

eagle eye wrote: »

And all this moaning and saying the Irish people won't go to games is not good enough. If you really love a club you will never talk negatively to or about your potential audience. Get all those guys that come on here to get up off their behinds and do a bit of PR work for their club. Come back to me in a year's time or so and tell me how much things improved because I can guarantee you they will.

I know myself, dreamers, and probably most LoI posters on here to some sort of work with their clubs, PR work costs money, money clubs don't have and money the FAI won't issue.

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

I'm a life long United fan. My father was too and so was his and so forth.

And ultimately, I couldn't care less what others think of my choice of football support. I don't care that Liverpool or City fans don't like I'm a United fan, so I certainly don't care that some LOI goers think they are superior to me cause they support an Irish team.

Ultimately football should be about personal enjoyment and watching what you want to watch how you want to watch it. I have no intentions of letting others tell me who I should or should not support; I can make my own mind up on that. Likewise, you can watch whatever you want and I won't criticise you and your choices.

Let me watch the football which makes me happy. And I'll let you watch the football that makes you happy. But don't expect me to watch football simply to appease you.

Firstly your argument is crap, I'll bet you that your great granddad was a LoI fan, everyone in Ireland was because there was no Man Utds, etc... on TV!

You're not a Utd fan, as someone said on here, Man Utd are now a brand, essentially you are a customer of that brand!

I'm not superior because I go to matches in Ireland, I'm simply a football fan who attends matches, both Shels and other football matches.

Football is more than about enjoyment, it's part of it yes, but pride and passion for the side you support is a good chunk of why people go to matches. Ever see the attendances at 4th Divsion German matches or 5th Division Polish ones? They'd be on par to Shamrock Rovers/Cork City attendences, in their thousands for a standard of football that is dire!

And why can't Irish people be like the Swedes? Support their English sides but still support their local side without a both. LoI is generally Friday evening, EPL is Saturday/Sunday, why can't you and the rest of the nation do both?

jarvis wrote: »

I would have thought Pats had more than 4,000 supporters!!! I'm a bit shocked to see that's all they have! It's sad really, but I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

Seriously? There wasn't 4,000 Pats fans their, about 800 were Hannover and their was plenty of neutrals there.

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Like it or lump it, football is a form of entertainment.

So you didn't bother watching Ireland at the Euros?

Leiva wrote: »

First the Premier League.
Then the GAA.
Then the national team.
Now the Olympics

All the excuses barstoolers give for not going to a match! :rolleyes:

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

I am a LoI fan, but online LoI fans really don't do themselves any favours by going on as if they are superior,

Sticks and stones...

AgileMyth wrote: »

Nothing to do with supporting LOI in Europe, if I'd been in Belfast and Linfield or someone were playing I'd have gone to that too. I'd have though anyone pronouncing themselves a 'football fan' would do the same.

This exactly, we're not "superior" we're football fans, we go to matches no matter who's playing!

Gavin "shels"

MRPRO03 wrote: »

What I find funny is the media wanting Irish Athletes to well at the Olympics and yet at the same time ignore an Irish Team that had 18 players that were all Irish that were actually playing in European competition representing Ireland.

EVENT.......JUNKIESSSSSSSSSSSS!

dan1895

L'prof wrote: »

I'd be a massive Arsenal fan myself and all my friends from home are very obsessive about their own favourite premier league clubs too. This season (I genuinely don't know why it took so long, some of the lads have gone before) we decided to start going to our local Longford Town games whenever we're home and have thoroughly enjoyed it. I've seen them playing here in Galway this season too.

It's a pity Galway United went bust, I reckon I would have went to see them this season too as one friend is a massive fan. He has no interest in going to see Mervue or SD Galway though, so I've only gone to a couple of their games.

Before now, I thought I wouldn't enjoy the football at all, but I genuinely have. I have to say though, Ive always found reading posts on here from diehard LOI fans very off putting. No, my support will never be good enough in your eyes, I know that much.

Back on topic, best fans in the world? Certainly not, but the fans at the Spain game had the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. Fair play to them.

Its people like yourself that would probably be most welcome and most needed. If more people attended games even on an occaisional basis we'd be in much better shape as a league.

Lord TSC

You're not a Utd fan, as someone said on here, Man Utd are now a brand, essentially you are a customer of that brand!

I'm not superior because I go to matches in Ireland, I'm simply a football fan who attends matches, both Shels and other football matches.

Love the double standards here. "You're not a fan cause of who you support, but I am a fan cause of who I support". This the elitism that people have been giving out about. For some reason, I am seen as "not a fan" because of who I follow, as if the word "fan" should be reserved for someone who sees themselves as superior than others cause they support an Irish team.

Football is more than about enjoyment, it's part of it yes, but pride and passion for the side you support is a good chunk of why people go to matches.

You act as if I have no pride and passion or something. I enjoy United games BECAUSE I have pride and passion as a fan of the team. I live and I die with them. When it looked like we were going to going to win the title last season on the last day, I was dancing with pride and I was devastated when City won it in the dying seconds. That pride and passion is why I find so much enjoyment in watching them play. Once again, the elitism stinks; its as if you're implying I couldn't possibly have pride and passion in United despite being a fan for 25 years.

to reiterate something I said earlier, I have no problems with people who choose to follow LOI teams. Fair play to you, and I'm thrilled if you enjoy the games, and support the teams in a great way. I'm not going to tell you what to enjoy, so why do people get snarky because of what others enjoy?

Ever see the attendances at 4th Divsion German matches or 5th Division Polish ones? They'd be on par to Shamrock Rovers/Cork City attendences, in their thousands for a standard of football that is dire!

And why can't Irish people be like the Swedes? Support their English sides but still support their local side without a both. LoI is generally Friday evening, EPL is Saturday/Sunday, why can't you and the rest of the nation do both?

Ok, I'm going to give the main reason I don't like LOI football compared to watching the PL. Part of it is the family thing. Part of it is the desire to avoid the elitism that exists among certain sections of the LOI fanbase (and ultimately, stupid arguments like this is a reason why I'm so inclned not to bother giving such games a try...)

But honestly? I just find the quality is too inferior compared to the PL. I know that's a money thing, but I find it's like deciding not to watch The Avengers in the cinema cause a local lad has recorded a short film on his iPhone. I can enjoy the lower budget stuff from time to time, but I enjoy the spectacle, the quality and the excitment of the PL far more. I'm sure if I had been following LOI football since I was a kid like I have the PL, I'd be more inclined to argue the other side, but I haven't. And after 25 years of watching the PL, I can't be bothered sitting through the inferior Irish leagues.

See, I don't buy blind patriotism or supporting a side simply cause they are near by. You birth place is accidental and shouldn't be a factor which forces someone to follow a team. Again, fair play if you follow your local LOI side and enjoy their football. But I'm not going to sit through football which bores the ass off me just to appease others or out of some blind sense of patriotism.

Ferris_Bueller

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

Ok, I'm going to give the main reason I don't like LOI football compared to watching the PL. Part of it is the family thing. Part of it is the desire to avoid the elitism that exists among certain sections of the LOI fanbase (and ultimately, stupid arguments like this is a reason why I'm so inclned not to bother giving such games a try...)

But honestly? I just find the quality is too inferior compared to the PL. I know that's a money thing, but I find it's like deciding not to watch The Avengers in the cinema cause a local lad has recorded a short film on his iPhone. I can enjoy the lower budget stuff from time to time, but I enjoy the spectacle, the quality and the excitment of the PL far more. I'm sure if I had been following LOI football since I was a kid like I have the PL, I'd be more inclined to argue the other side, but I haven't. And after 25 years of watching the PL, I can't be bothered sitting through the inferior Irish leagues.

See, I don't buy blind patriotism or supporting a side simply cause they are near by. You birth place is accidental and shouldn't be a factor which forces someone to follow a team. Again, fair play if you follow your local LOI side and enjoy their football. But I'm not going to sit through football which bores the ass off me just to appease others or out of some blind sense of patriotism.

Okay, but don't compare them, as has been pointed out they don't clash so therefore it isn't a direct choice.

LoI fans are always going to speak about the "pride and passion" and the "excitement" of being there every step of the way, they are right. EPL fans are always going to speak of the superior quality matches/teams/players, they are also right. But what both parties don't seem to realise is that there is elements of both arguments in both situations.

A man who has supported Liverpool for 20 years is going to feel passionate watching them play in a final or a big game, damn right, if it means so much to him he has every right to. Also, there are quality games and good players in the LoI, obviously not as much as there is in the EPL (worlds biggest league) but if you give it a chance there are some teams who play some cracking football and some extremely entertaining games, probably the best games I have ever been to have been LoI matches.

Lord TSC

And again I say, if you feel that way, fair play to you. But I don't. I've tried watching a few LOI games over the last year, and only one managed to hold my interest for 90 minutes. The others just bored me, and no ammount of you telling me it can be exciting is going to change the fact that my eyes are saying otherwise. That doesn't make me less a fan or you more of a football fan. It means we have different tastes.

Okay, but don't compare them, as has been pointed out they don't clash so therefore it isn't a direct choice.

I've yet to see anyone argue the reason they don't watch LOI games is cause they clash, time wise, with PL games. But it's impossible not to compare them in terms of quality....

Mushy

Teamshadow wrote:

Ok, I'm going to give the main reason I don't like LOI football compared to watching the PL. Part of it is the family thing. Part of it is the desire to avoid the elitism that exists among certain sections of the LOI fanbase (and ultimately, stupid arguments like this is a reason why I'm so inclned not to bother giving such games a try...)

But honestly? I just find the quality is too inferior compared to the PL. I know that's a money thing, but I find it's like deciding not to watch The Avengers in the cinema cause a local lad has recorded a short film on his iPhone. I can enjoy the lower budget stuff from time to time, but I enjoy the spectacle, the quality and the excitment of the PL far more. I'm sure if I had been following LOI football since I was a kid like I have the PL, I'd be more inclined to argue the other side, but I haven't. And after 25 years of watching the PL, I can't be bothered sitting through the inferior Irish leagues.

See, I don't buy blind patriotism or supporting a side simply cause they are near by. You birth place is accidental and shouldn't be a factor which forces someone to follow a
team. Again, fair play if you follow your local LOI side and enjoy their football. But I'm not going to sit through football which bores the ass off me just to appease others or out of some blind sense of patriotism.

So you dont like it because of what the people online say?

You do know there is excitement at all levels of foot? The PL is no more exciting for anything, bar the exceptions like last day of season. Fair enough with the quality, but you do see good play and some good players who do make the step up.

You can to matches without supporting any of the teams, just casually. It eventually becomes a little routine, not expensive one too.

That last bit is the infuriating thing for many. You arent being asked to stand and sing, stop supporting another team. Dunno why its so hard for many, bar legit reasons. And yes, there is more the fai can do.

DazMarz

I'm a diehard Chelsea fan. Have been since I was 6 and probably will be til the day I expire. That's just the way it is. I was influenced by my elders who supported them too. I travel over to matches frequently and thoroughly enjoy the whole experience.

Recently, I've gone to a few LOI games. And did thoroughly enjoy the experience. While I myself will probably never be as die-hard or as passionate as many at those games, the whole experience is enjoyable and I had a good bit of fun and got a live football fix.

I was at the St. Pats vs. Hannover game a few days ago and the atmosphere was fúcking electric. Pats fans (and Hannover fans) did themselves proud. The singing, the chanting, the cheering, the drumming... it never stopped for the whole game.

Why did I go to the game??? I'm not a Pats fan, and I probably never will be. I'm not a Hannover fan, and most definitely never will be. I went because it was going to be a bit of craic, there was an Irish team playing against one of the best of Europe, it was a competetive game and because it was happening about a 20 minute drive from where I'm living. I did not go for die hard supporting reasons. I only went to see a game of football and enjoy myself, which I did in spades (in spite of the result; obviously I would have wanted the Irish team to win). Pats also played very well, and were unlucky to lose 0-3. The scoreline did not reflect the play.

I do feel that some LOI fans on here are a bit too militant, but I could draw analogies between LOI fans and fans of heavy metal music (bear with me here, please). Like heavy metal, the LOI is deemed by the general public at large as something that is 'un-sexy'. It is the preserve of an elite few fans and supporters. It is for die-hards. And 'casual' fans are viewed with contempt; passion is to be admired. Lack thereof is to be scorned.

And it is understandable.

Even in other sports, for other clubs... casual fans are scorned. Everyone who goes to games, in the eyes of die-hards, should be equally as die-hard or not be there at all. I have heard this in the GAA too (of which I am a huge supporter; the GAA will always be my first love and my best love). It regularly happens on big matches; it is regularly bemoaned that so many people who go to games such as the All-Ireland Final are just 'spectators'. They have no understanding of what it means to be at an All-Ireland Final. They have no understanding of how some people would die for the jersey, how some people would give their right arm for a ticket to the Final, and yet here they sit, blindly oblivious to what an All-Ireland Final means.

Maybe I'm making a point, maybe I'm not.

But a friend of mine (Mushy) has gotten me into going to games. I'm not going to be a die hard, but I'm going to go to the games as often as I can, and in my opinion, my money that I pay for my ticket is as good as anyone else's. I try to get friends of mine to go too, but they haven't so far, but I'll get em!

It should be a fun, welcoming atmosphere. But as I've experienced in the GAA all too often, the 'dinosaurs' rule the roost in some cases and anyone who is new and who hasn't been there since the time of the immemorial is anathema. It's time for the LOI to expand, to advertise more and to encourage people to come, even if they are only casual fans who are there to watch a game and not give a toss about the larger implications, win-lose-or-draw.

Yes, it is a sad fact that the vast majority of football fans in this country follow teams from England, but that is a fact of life. Thanks in large to Sky Sports, endless hype, huge exposure and huge amounts of advertising, the English Premier League will ALWAYS be sexier, more appealing, more heavily exposed and followed more than the League of Ireland. But that does not mean the League of Ireland cannot grow.
It needs to get exposure too.

What was my main reason for not going to matches at my local LOI club? I simply did not know when their games were. Fact. I wasn't going to go out of my way to find out, I'll admit. But there was no advertising. Apart from a board outside the ground to advertise (and I do not be in the area of the ground very often), there is no advertising (or at least no effective advertising) in local papers, on local radio or anywhere in the local area. I realise this costs money, but you have to spend money to make money. Advertise more, increase exposure and you will get more people to come. Build it, and they will come.

The grassroots network that serves the GAA so well simply does not seem to be there for the LOI. Maybe it is, but I'm a GAA-head so I'm not too sure, but from what I can see, it is not there. But LOI clubs could do something. Maybe appealing to the general public is far too expensive and could prove to be ineffective, but surely to god there is a better chance and a better demographic to appeal to; local, non-professional soccer clubs.

In my local area (North Wicklow) there is an LOI club. Bray Wanderers. I can also name off the top of my head a few local, small soccer clubs: Newtown F.C., St. Anthony's, Newtown Juniors F.C., Rathnew AFC, Enniskerry YC, Glenview FC, Sugarloaf FC, BBK FC, etc. All these clubs are well within striking distance of Bray, and surely Bray Wanderers could do far worse than contacting these clubs and offering them some kind of a group discount for players and to encourage these lads to come en masse to games. Even if only to home games, it would surely give a much needed boost to crowds. And even if it didn't, it would be showing an initiative.

(Note; I don't know, I'm no expert. Maybe this is being done by LOI Clubs, but it should be OFFICIAL contact, from the club's secretary or P.R.O. to respective clubs' secretaries and P.R.O.'s, not just a casual chat down the local. It should be an official invitation, with possibility of discounts to entice more people to come to games.)

It is no secret that the LOI is woefully under-supported, but that can be improved. Maybe I'm wrong in saying this, but I believe it is down to advertising and promotion. Make it seem fun! Make it fun! Make it all inclusive! Push it like FÚCK... if you can attract people in, it's worth it. It takes effort, but nothing worth doing in life is easy. The GAA are absolutely brilliant at promoting their games, but that said, they have a huge budget. But contrarily, clubs can appeal to Croke Park, their provincial and county boards and even to other clubs for help. I do not know if a similar level of co-operation exists in soccer in Ireland. I'm more of a GAA-head, as I've said. But just from taking a perfunctory look at the problems, I am offering what I know in just my limited experience.

And I close with a quote I like a lot: "Why can't we all just get along???"

ArmaniJeanss

eagle eye wrote: »

Now while we are at it. What sort of an idiot booked this game for the middle of the Olympics? I mean thats the sort of stupidity that I'd expect from people involved in this league many years back, I'm talking about those people that made Louis Kilcoyne the FAI president. If they had that before the Olympics started or after it finished I expect they would have at least 500-1000 more at it.

I'm 7 years posting here and I still can't figure out if you are completely hatstand or just an incredible WUM.

monkey9

Nobody here needs to justify why they support the club they do. But this is the soccer forum and people here are saying they'd rather sit at home watching archery on tv rather than go see a top Bundesliga team play in their own city in a Europa League tie. (obviously anyone who doesn't live in Dublin, that's fair enough if they don't go.)

People are posting stuff like this on the soccer forum!! Madness!

monkey9

ArmaniJeanss wrote: »

I'm 7 years posting here and I still can't figure out if you are completely hatstand or just an incredible WUM.

Hadn't even read that bit you quoted!! I'm just going to assume he's being sarcastic, which i genuinely am sure he is being.

dfx-

applehunter wrote: »

Sad thing is that this was only played in Tallaght and not the Aviva and Pats fans still couldn't fill the place, nevermind non Pats supporters.

Excellent post. Did they only bring 3,000 to Landsdowne for the Derry 4-3 cup-final? If they brought more, where were they?

monkey9

Pat's fans regular attendence is about one and a half thousand. I don't get the point??

darced

This post has been deleted.

niallo27

Why the **** should i give a bollox about Pats, they mean nothing to me.

dfx-

monkey9 wrote: »

Pat's fans regular attendence is about one and a half thousand. I don't get the point??

Well if you can't attract the latent Pats fans who don't regularly go, then why would anyone else go?

CiaranC

niallo27 wrote: »

Why the **** should i give a bollox about Pats, they mean nothing to me.

Wtf has Pats got to do with it? Hannover 96 were playing a competitive fixture in Dublin, why would a supposed football fan not be interested?

I knock around with a few Irish lads here in Wellington, all of who support British teams. Not one of them have been to see Wellington play. The Kiwi football fans, who also support UK teams, cannot understand it. They claim to be football fans but show no interest in attending football matches. Wellingtons games are packed with ExPats from the UK, Europe and South America who miss football.

Irish plastics just dont have the football culture in them.

monkey9

niallo27 wrote: »

Why the **** should i give a bollox about Pats, they mean nothing to me.

Surely Barcelona means nothing to you, but would you make an effort to see them play a Europa League game in your own city?

monkey9

dfx- wrote: »

Well if you can't attract the latent Pats fans who don't regularly go, then why would anyone else go?

Well for a start, there was a great crowd in the 'home' stand last night. You seem to think i'm on a LOI crusade.

I'm calling out all the football fans in this country who make excuses as to why they don't go to football matches in this country. Thursday night, their excuses were extinguished!

Yet, they came out with more, i.e Michael Phelps was swimming and there was some archery on.

Pedro K

niallo27 wrote: »

Why the **** should i give a bollox about Pats, they mean nothing to me.

Why should you (not you specifically, but those who referred to the Olympics as a possible reason for the lacklustre attendance) give a bollox about John Joe Nevin (or insert any Olympic athlete here, Irish or not), he (she or they) means nothing to you.

niallo27

monkey9 wrote: »

Surely Barcelona means nothing to you, but would you make an effort to see them play a Europa League game in your own city?

Well Man city are playing tommorrow 10 mins from where i live but i wont be going to see them as i dont support limerick or city.

darced

This post has been deleted.

niallo27

Pedro K wrote: »

Why should you (not you specifically, but those who referred to the Olympics as a possible reason for the lacklustre attendance) give a bollox about John Joe Nevin (or insert any Olympic athlete here, Irish or not), he (she or they) means nothing to you.

The attendance was poor because people dont care about LOI football and german sides are not a big draw to most irish people, i dont think the olympics had any factor in this.

Mushy

darced wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Its people making excuses week in week out. May not be refined to dublin, thats even more irrelevant.

monkey9

niallo27 wrote: »

Well Man city are playing tommorrow 10 mins from where i live but i wont be going to see them as i dont support limerick or city.

Fair enough. You just watch it on the telly!

How many actual Pats fans are there?

Surely it's a poor turnout by them and not all irish fans?

Terrible journalism from a rag of a paper no better than the sun.

monkey9

I have to say though, in fairness, Eastenders was on!!!

Watch Hannover 96? No way, Archery is on? Will Team GB do something?? Go Team GB, go!!!

Augmerson

eagle eye wrote: »

As regards the LoI and all this stuff that goes on here and that rubbish article.

If you have a product that you want to sell its up to you to sell it. Its not a case of saying that people won't give it a chance or anything like that. You have to go out and make people want to buy your product.

What appealed to you to buy the product that Blackburn Rovers are selling?

eagle eye

Augmerson wrote: »

What appealed to you to buy the product that Blackburn Rovers are selling?

My Uncle played for them in the 60s and then Frank Stapleton who I knew for many years joined them.

Madworld

Teamshadowclan wrote: »

I'm a life long United fan. My father was too and so was his and so forth.

And ultimately, I couldn't care less what others think of my choice of football support. I don't care that Liverpool or City fans don't like I'm a United fan, so I certainly don't care that some LOI goers think they are superior to me cause they support an Irish team.

Ultimately football should be about personal enjoyment and watching what you want to watch how you want to watch it. I have no intentions of letting others tell me who I should or should not support; I can make my own mind up on that. Likewise, you can watch whatever you want and I won't criticise you and your choices.

Let me watch the football which makes me happy. And I'll let you watch the football that makes you happy. But don't expect me to watch football simply to appease you.

Do you support the English national team? Surely there must be more "enjoyment" watching their superior players.

niallo27

monkey9 wrote: »

Fair enough. You just watch it on the telly!

No hardly will its a pointless friendly, i'd only travel to see liverpool play or clare in the hurling.

niallo27

Madworld wrote: »

Do you support the English national team? Surely there must be more "enjoyment" watching their superior players.

Sure why do you give a **** who he supports.

Madworld

I don't really. I'm having a debate on a football forum.

Btw paranoid much?

niallo27

Madworld wrote: »

I don't really. I'm having a debate on a football forum.

Btw paranoid much

How am i paranoid you werent talking about me.:D;):rolleyes::mad::eek::o:rolleyes::):confused:

Professional Griefer

monkey9 wrote: »

Nobody here needs to justify why they support the club they do. But this is the soccer forum and people here are saying they'd rather sit at home watching archery on tv rather than go see a top Bundesliga team play in their own city in a Europa League tie. (obviously anyone who doesn't live in Dublin, that's fair enough if they don't go.)

People are posting stuff like this on the soccer forum!! Madness!

No one said that at all.

LuckyLloyd

monkey9 wrote: »

Nobody here needs to justify why they support the club they do. But this is the soccer forum and people here are saying they'd rather sit at home watching archery on tv rather than go see a top Bundesliga team play in their own city in a Europa League tie. (obviously anyone who doesn't live in Dublin, that's fair enough if they don't go.)

People are posting stuff like this on the soccer forum!! Madness!

trolllolololllllll

STRAWMAN

Richard Hillman

This thread makes me embarrassed to follow LOI football. It would actually turn myself off the LOI ffs and thats from somebody who has been following the league intently since the old Sunday sport on RTE days.

People just have to accept, we have a rubbish league. Everything is half assed about it. The players dont give a toss, the officials are corrupt, the managers are like used car sales men and the people running the clubs couldnt run a church raffle. If i didnt support a certain club, theres not a chance in hell i would waste 15 euro in to see it. Yes i would keep up to date with it, but attending? not a chance. Why would anyone who isnt attached to a club actually pay to go to see it?

Then there is "football fan culture" :pac: A made up phrase to make yourselves feel special. You's are like indie hipsters and you know it will kill you to see the LOI being genuinely popular.

Our league is pants, accept it. It gets the right amount of attendances and media coverage. Stop whinging and just enjoy what we have.

Richard Hillman

Ix Deadmau5 wrote: »

No one said that at all.

I genuinely would rather stay at home to watch Olympic Archery than pay €15 (plus travel) to see a LOI club getting pumped in the Preliminary round of the UEFA B tournament.

Archery has been thoroughly entertaining over the last week

Xavi6

Richard Hillman wrote: »

This thread makes me embarrassed to follow LOI football. It would actually turn myself off the LOI ffs and thats from somebody who has been following the league intently since the old Sunday sport on RTE days.

People just have to accept, we have a rubbish league. Everything is half assed about it. The players dont give a toss, the officials are corrupt, the managers are like used car sales men and the people running the clubs couldnt run a church raffle. If i didnt support a certain club, theres not a chance in hell i would waste 15 euro in to see it. Yes i would keep up to date with it, but attending? not a chance. Why would anyone who isnt attached to a club actually pay to go to see it?

Then there is "football fan culture" :pac: A made up phrase to make yourselves feel special. You's are like indie hipsters and you know it will kill you to see the LOI being genuinely popular.

Our league is pants, accept it. It gets the right amount of attendances and media coverage. Stop whinging and just enjoy what we have.

Well that's that then, there shouldn't be any effort to improve the league. Just accept shitness and get on it with.

Good attitude.

Al Capwned

Gavin shels wrote: »

.......

You're not a Utd fan, as someone said on here, Man Utd are now a brand, essentially you are a customer of that brand!

This is completely wrong.

Like the original poster, I am a lifelong United supporter, having supported the club from 1981. I have family connections to Manchester, my uncle lived in Sale till he died in 2002, and was a season ticket holder in Old Trafford up until that time. I have jerseys, programmes, badges, tshirts, scarves, pictures, etc. etc. from the 70's to today. Dozens of my relations still live in the area, Denton, Stockport, Salford, Bolton, Oldham, Warrington....

I am concerned about what is happening at United, financially, player-wise, the emergence of city, are chelsea going to be resurgent this season.

First thing I look for when I pick up a paper, or turn on computer or TV is United related news.

I am proud that I am a United fan, and am proud of my knowledge of the club. (always impressed by others knowledge on here, however)

I go over when I can, not near as often as I want, but if money and children weren't an issue, I'd be over every week.

I am not a customer. I am a supporter. You too are a supporter, but don't judge me, or people like me, because I have an attachment to a club that is not on this island.

:mad:




Edit - I have a passing interest in the Airtricity league, and now always look out for Bohemians results, as my local junior club hosted them in a friendly recently. I can take it or leave it, however, and I should not be judged because of this, same as I would not have an opinion on people that religiously attend LoI games.

Lord TSC

Madworld wrote: »

Do you support the English national team? Surely there must be more "enjoyment" watching their superior players.

I don't support the English national team, in that I don't go looking for news the same way I do the United news. I don't wear English jerseys or go to England games.

But I definitely have more interest in the English team than the Irish one. How can I not? Half the team is made up of United guys. I know far more about the English players than I do the Irish players. So when an English game is on, and Rooney, Welbeck, Young et al are playing, of course I'll be more inclined to watch one of their games.

Does this surprise people? How am I expected to cheer one group of players for 9 months of the year, and be obsessive about news about the team, and then suddenly ignore and turn on them for the other three? :P

8-10

niallo27 wrote: »

How am i paranoid you werent talking about me.:D;):rolleyes::mad::eek::o:rolleyes::):confused:

Looks more like multiple personality than paranoia :pac:

LuckyLloyd

Xavi6 wrote: »

Well that's that then, there shouldn't be any effort to improve the league. Just accept shitness and get on it with.

Good attitude.

Clubs should run themselves better. Stop living beyond their means. Don't bother with a player or two on €500 a week and invest that money in the youth section instead. Become the forces in schoolboy football so that you can have better control over developing talent and achieve a higher standard of football in a more sustainable manner.

Focus on those things imo rather than saying 'until we double our attendances nothing will change, piss, moan".

davocesque

Regarding the OP, the worst cliche in football in surely 'real football'. It actually makes me angry when people call LOI or Lower League UK real football. Whats real about it? whats fake about top level football??

As a former season ticket holder for 2 seasons at a LOI club, i can honestly say i would never buy a season ticket it again. The type of football is unattractive imo, and fair play to the fans of it, they do have passion. But i would like to point out that a HUGE majority of LOI fans are also Celtic fans (in my experience) which is no different to supporting an English club.

I follow real football, which i consider to be leagues i find attractive, so basically La Liga and to a lesser degree the Bundesliga. I also follow Ireland, despite the fact i HATE the football we play, i cant help but love the team, same cant be said about my local LOI team.

CSF

davocesque wrote: »

But i would like to point out that a HUGE majority of LOI fans are also Celtic fans (in my experience) which is no different to supporting an English club.

This is hilarious. Probably funnier than eagleeye saying we should have cancelled Europa League qualifiers til after the olympics.

Francie Barrett

stovelid wrote: »

The majority of the people on this forum are fucking morons when it comes to football, let's be fair.

Stay classy

Francie Barrett

Xavi6 wrote: »

Irish people are event junkies.

Why do you think this is just an Irish thing? There is nothing unique about sports fans turning out to important matches and shunning minor ones.

all this has to be taken into context i went to see cork city play nantes in france a few years ago and it was a lot of fun but the league of irelands quality is incredibly low we are so close to england that any half decent player will be snapped up and given a chance over there leaving us mostly with either very young players or old players who never made it in england.

its great to see st pats get 3000 people out thats a lot of people at the game if you consider the amount of teams in dublin and the standard of the league.

il go to a city game every now and again but loi will never get the same attendances as english clubs because they either get to see world class players week in week out or they have the opportunity to be promoted/bought by a seik and do so. loi football is pretty low standard and always will be simply because we are so close to a football superpower